BETH ABERG OPENED her first Random Harvest in 1983 on 75th and Columbus in New York City. “I have always loved the idea of transforming interior spaces,” she says.
When her husband’s career moved them to the D.C. area, Aberg remained committed to her passion and opened a store in Old Town, followed by ones in Georgetown, Arlington and Bethesda. Her personal taste is a mix of antique and traditional. Through the years she has added what she calls transitional styles–furniture with cleaner lines but still graceful. “Not starkly modern,” she says. Prices run the gamut from a pillow for $110 to a European antique sideboard for $2,000.
What’s new is that the store is now designing its own line of upholstered pieces and dining tables. “We couldn’t find the price point, style, scale and quality we were looking for in the marketplace,” says Aberg. All the stores offer a design service; it’s $300 for a two-hour in-home consultation, plus a meeting in the store.
“We’ve very user-friendly,” says Aberg. There’s no pressure to buy a lot at once. We’re fine with your buying one piece at a time and updating with lamps and pillows.
Downsizing? Random Harvest specializes in small-scale furniture to fit the apartments and town homes empty-nesters have moved on to.
–Janet Kelly
Aside from the store itself, which looks like I could live in it, what a great story about re-starting life, and flourishing, after moving for a spouse’s work.
You would love the store!